Back in 2019, Kyle Busch told Barstool Sports that he was "pretty sure" he was "never going to win" NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award.
Months after his shocking death, NASCAR fans have changed that.
At the sport’s annual postseason awards banquet in Miami on Tuesday Nov. 10, Busch was voted Most Popular Driver for the first time in his career, adding one more honorary bullet point to his already highly decorated resume.
The award had previously been won by Chase Elliott for eight consecutive years, and by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 15 seasons before that. Despite being one of NASCAR’s signature personalities and most talented wheelmen throughout his career, Busch never won the award.
His widow, Samantha Busch, was overcome with emotion in the hours
leading up to the banquet, telling Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, "Oh, I want to cry thinking about it. He wanted that award so bad for so many years, and I'm so thrilled that he got it.
"But I think the coolest thing about it is just how the other drivers came together in order to rally their fans behind him. … At the end of the day, NASCAR is a big family, and just seeing Chase (Elliott) and (Kyle) Larson and all them being like, 'No, give this to Kyle,' like, I know he's up there being like 'Well, I finally got it!' because we all know Kyle!"
Samantha Busch on Kyle Busch being honored with the Comcast community champion award and Busch winning the most popular driver award (it will be officially announced during the ceremony but obviously what everyone is expecting). @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/KNGa35IgCN
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 10, 2026
Not long after Busch died suddenly on May 21 at the age of 41 due to complications from sepsis caused by presumed bacterial pneumonia, Elliott announced that he was going to remove himself from the ballot this year in hopes that his fans would vote for Busch. Other drivers, such as rising star Carson Hocevar and three-time champion Kyle Larson, also urged their fans to vote for Busch in social media posts.
With the gesture, Elliott was following in the footsteps of his father – Hall of Famer Bill Elliott – who removed himself from the Most Popular Driver ballot in 2001 and threw his support behind Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning the award for the first time in the wake of his shocking death on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Bill Elliott had won the award 1991-2000 and again in 2002.
"I just think it's one of those things that I think Kyle is a guy that really deserves something of an award like that," Elliott told reporters in May, just days after Busch’s death. "I think he's a guy that has had a lot of fans over the course of his career."
Indeed, while many fans loved to root against Busch – who willingly embraced his role as NASCAR’s villain – he also had a legion of his own fans whom he called "Rowdy Nation." They adored his dominance behind the wheel and unabashed style of racing.
A hard-charging driver with a get-out-my-way attitude, incredible talent and superb racecraft, Busch was polarizing, fearless, exceptional and unapologetic on the racetrack. Across NASCAR’s top three national touring circuits, he amassed 234 career victories, the most all-time. He had 63 wins in the top-level Cup Series, 102 victories in the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts circuit and captured 69 checkered flags in the Truck Series – where he also owned a team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. He is the winningest driver in the O’Reilly and Truck Series, and ranks 10th in Cup Series victories.
Busch is also the only driver to win at least one Cup Series race in 19 consecutive seasons, doing so from 2005 through 2023. Additionally, Busch is the only driver to win each of the three races – the trucks, the O’Reilly Series and the Cup Series — in the same weekend. He did it twice, in 2010 and 2017, both at Bristol.
At a public celebration of life held at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month, fans showed just how much they admired and missed Busch by gathering in the grandstands to hear fellow drivers, team owners and his family speak about his impact and legacy.
"Kyle, babe, I wish you could see this," Busch’s widow Samantha said, holding back tears. "I wish you could see how deeply you were loved and I wish you knew just how much all these fans out here appreciate you."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Busch posthumously wins NASCAR Most Popular Driver for first time
